You can ensure your neighborhood gets the federal funding it deserves for the social services it needs. If you haven't already, fill out the U.S. Census today!
Once each decade, the U.S. Census Bureau attempts to count every person in the United States. The results of the 2020 Census will help determine how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding flow into communities every year for the next decade. This includes funding for critical safety-net services for seniors like Meals on Wheels.
An estimated 9.7 million California households have already taken the Census, of those, 2 million are hardest-to-count. In looking at the data, the Census Office noticed a trend – some areas that have been historically easier-to-count are responding at lower rates than normal. The California Census campaign is looking at lower-responding areas and what can be done to increase those numbers during this period. California’s strategy was built to complement the work done by the U.S. Census Bureau, encouraging the hardest-to-count populations to complete the Census. We here at SOS Meals on Wheels are trying to do our part. Have you done yours?
California’s self-response rate is above the national average – 64.1% versus 62.8%, respectively. Overall, Alameda County has had a pretty good response rate which some exceptions as shown here. Click the map for details.
Some of our service areas have higher rates of hardest-to-count households. These households – including people who don’t have broadband Internet access, speak English as a second language and live at or near the poverty line – are a priority because they are at an even greater risk of being missed in this Census. Click the map for more details.
“The Census is important for everyone. We need all Californians to do their part. We’re calling on all Californians to take the Census by Friday – our Get Out the Count Day, since efforts will begin shifting away from self-response. It’ll take all of us to reach an accurate and complete count."
---Ditas Katague, Director of the California Complete Count – Census 2020 Office
How do I do it?
 
  1. You can respond to the Census online at https://my2020census.gov
  2. By phone at 844-330-2020 (a list of in-language options is available here)
  3. By mail if you have received a paper form
  4. With the assistance of one of the Census takers who will be going door-to-door to tally residents. This operation is known as Non-Response Follow-Up (NRFU) and is scheduled to begin on August 11.
  5. Call your favorite friendly neighborhood nonprofit. We can help. (510)582-1263